The Wand and the Wolf

4 - The Neediness of Wolves

Ibhan

I watched as she easily and eagerly commanded the group of younger werewolves before her. There was about 20 of them, listening attentively to her every word. They spread out in front of her, enough room that they wouldn't hit each other as they practiced the motions she showed them. I gritted my teeth and looked away when I noticed that I was staring, focusing on a small patch of flowers close by.

Standing up and dusting off my robe, I walked over and studied the small flowers. Plants were excellent conduits of magic and were known to strengthen spells and potions. I made a trip down to the Heavenly Thicket and the field of of Fae every so often just to take my own prime pickings of the more magical variety. I picked a few small buds, and put them into my satchel with the rest, the insides of the bag enchanted to stay cool.

Hearing a loud crackling sound, I whipped around to see the group of gangly teens shift into wolf form. It was unnerving to see the way their bodies stretched, broke and reformed. But it was also fascinating how they were able to withstand it. My eyes immediately sought out Kyda, standing at the front of the group. Like her hair, her fur was black and shimmered in the morning sun. She communicated silently with her group, most likely through the pack bond she said they had, and I found myself walking closer to where she was.

Huffing, I clenched my hands into fists and stayed put where I was. Suddenly, the younger wolves yipped and growled as they took off across the field, sprinting as fast as they could. Kyda turned towards me and padded over. She seemed more open in her wolf form than human as she brushed up against my side. I raised a brow as I watched her circle me, inspecting me from a whole new perspective.

"What? Is there something wrong with me?" I asked as she sat back on her haunches, head tilted to the side. She let out a small growling sound and looked over the field. The young wolves were running laps, taking turns to shift between wolf and human form every so often. Kyda laid down as she watched, satisfied her charges were doing as told.

Giving in to my curiosity, I crouched by her and gently held out a hand to her head.

"Can I?" I asked and she licked at my hand before laying her head on the ground. I groaned, wiping my hand in the grass. "Crazy wolf."

I rested my hand on the back of her head, surprised at how warm and soft the fur was. Her coat was thick, and I couldn't help but run my hand down her neck, just a little bit, to feel it between my fingers. I felt a small pressure build in my mind, and realised it was her, attempting to talk to me.

"Oh no, I don't think so, you are not getting in my head." I said sternly, sitting back in the grass, leaning on my hands. She huffed and turned, laying her head on my leg.

"Hey, I didn't say you could do that," I said, shifting aside, but she just laid a large paw on my leg to and stayed exactly where she was. I sighed and gave up, tilting my head back and letting the sun pour over my face. This much sunshine was a rarity at home.

We stayed that way for a while, maybe almost 10 minutes, before the thunder of paws on the dirt approached and Kyda stood, trotting off to meet her students. I groaned as I adjusted my legs, though they didn't hurt, in fact, the weight had been comforting. Shaking my head, I sighed as I squashed aside the way she made me feel. It was stupid. I saw the panic on her fathers face this morning when I used my magic. This was not something that would work and it was not something I would subject myself to.

I watched a while longer as they wolves split off into pairs, practicing some fighting moves on each other like how to get out of certain biting grips or to evade a certain pounce. It was entertaining to say the least. A lot of them were clumsy, too much limb and not enough coordination, but they didn't seem to mind. I thought back to my training, my mother and father were my teachers, and we mostly spent the hours quietly studying old texts. Now, I practiced spells in my own time mostly, rarely asking for any kind of help.  I had just a few months more of training left before I would graduate from senior apprentice to a full warlock. That's when I would be given permission to roam the lands freely, with significantly less chance of being consumed the the valley of Kegsus should I find myself in there.